AI Molecular Farming Making Plant-Based Dairy Easier And Cheaper

With the apprehensions over climate change, the growing global food demand, and the increased trend of consumers shifting from animal-based foods to plant-based foods, the need for alternative proteins has never been higher. 

Plant-based proteins are among the best known and most common alternative protein sources today, being used widely in alternative meat and dairy products. 

The problem? Traditional approaches in creating alternative proteins, such as fermentation, have limitations in infrastructure, which lead to high costs and restriction in production volumes, hindering widespread availability. 

Enter new startup Finally Foods, the brainchild of leading computational biology company Evogene and the Kitchen FoodTech Hub (TKH), the FoodTech incubator and investment arm of Israeli food industry leader Strauss Group. 

Finally Foods brings together big data, artificial intelligence and molecular farming to enhance production and provide sustainable alternative sources to animal-based proteins.

Traditional farming methods take up a staggering amount of resources, the World Resources Institute warns, using almost half the world’s vegetated land and consuming 70 percent of freshwater withdrawals. 

This is Evogene’s first step into the world of FoodTech, as until now they have been using their Computational Predictive Biology (CPB) platform to revolutionize product discovery and development in life-science industries such as health and agriculture. 

“Food is important for mankind, for the environment, and it is critical for us to participate in this field,” Eyal Ronen, Evogene EVP of Business Development, tells NoCamels. 

“We are in a position to use our technology, computational power and genomics to support the companies creating these impactful final products.”  

According to Feed Additive international magazine for the animal feed industry, the alternative proteins market was valued at around $17.6 billion in 2022, and is expected to reach $55 billion by 2032. 

And as the market heads toward tremendous growth, there is a great need to produce these proteins efficiently and in a way that is environmentally responsible. 

When Evogene decided to journey into the food sector, the team looked to work with leading incubators in food and agriculture, and found a perfect match in partnering with TKH. 

Evogene’s initial goal was to address the proteins found in egg yolk, but preliminary research showed the market was too crowded – indicating limited potential for business growth. 

Close work with market leader Strauss gave the company what it says is unmatched insight in trying to understand the essential proteins needed by the food industry, primarily in alternative meat and dairy companies. 

Together, they decided that the first alternative protein to create would be casein – the protein found in milk, yogurt, cheese and infant formula. 

Traditional methods of creating alternative proteins mainly focus on fermentation. 

In biomass fermentation, scientists can grow certain algae, yeast or fungi in expensive bioreactors to quickly grow microbes into a concentrated source of protein that can be harvested, typically into an ingredient in alternative meat products. 

With precision fermentation, genes for specific proteins are inserted into microbes that create the desired protein, creating ingredients for alternative dairy or egg products. 

These methods are challenging to grow, carry a greater risk of contamination and are very costly.

“The production in bioreactors is super expensive,” says Ronen. “All of the substances used need to have a high level of purification and quality. The outcome of the bioreactor will cost more than the same outcome equivalent in plant production.”

On the other hand, Finally Foods leverages molecular farming – a scalable and cost-effective approach – to create the desired proteins. This method translates into shorter R&D cycles and faster time to market.  

The company utilizes genetically modified organisms (GMOs) technology and essentially uses a host plant, in this instance a potato tuber, to introduce a foreign protein into its genome. 

In the case of Finally Foods, the method involves taking the casein genetic sequence and inserting into the plant genome using agrobacterium so that the plant can “translate” this into a protein. 

This transformed plant then acts as a biofactory, producing the desired protein alongside its natural products, all without harming the environment.  

A purification process separates these target proteins from the rest of the plant material, making them suitable for various applications such as artificial milk, cheese, emulsifiers, and other functional uses.

Evogene’s AI-powered genomic selection technology, GeneRator AI, is the backbone of Finally Foods’ molecular farming success. 

“Our AI technology pinpoints the precise location and method for genetic modification,” says Ronen. “This translates to significant time and cost savings. Computational power is our guiding tool.” 

Finally Foods’ choice of potato tubers as a host for molecular farming is strategic, the company says. 

Potatoes offer several advantages: efficient growth cycles; ease of cultivation; and simpler protein purification due to their high starch content compared to alternatives like soy.  

Furthermore, large-scale plant growth makes molecular farming ideal for high-volume protein production at a lower cost. Plants utilize sunlight and readily available resources – unlike fermentation, which requires controlled environments and specific nutrients.

Israeli startup PoLoPo is also using potatoes for molecular farming, but in its case to cultivate egg white protein. 

Finally Foods has secured pre-seed funding from TKH and the Israel Innovation Authority, the branch of the government dedicated to promoting the high-tech sector. 

Evogene holds a stake of approximately 40 percent in the fledgling company, which was founded earlier this year. The remaining ownership is divided among TKH and the founding team of Finally Foods, CEO Dafna Gabby and CTO Dr. Basia J. Vinocur. 

Both Evogene and Finally Foods are based in Rehovot, some 20 km south of Tel Aviv. 

So, what’s next for Finally Foods? Firstly, to perfect and sell the casein protein to food companies using it as an ingredient in final products such as milk and cheese. 

With additional capital, the company hopes to expand to create and sell whatever proteins the food industry needs, such as whey protein (for eggs and dairy) and leghemoglobin (for alternative meat).

So, smile and say “cheese!” Exciting new alternative proteins are emerging that will help us protect our planet and live healthier, while still enjoying our favorite foods.  

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